Ambient Sunday with Cloud Opacity and David Slowing

A double bill this Ambient Sunday with a returning Cloud Opacity and new hear David Slowing.

This is Canadian Cloud Opacity’s first appearance here this year. The Vancouver based artist – who makes self-proclaimed introverted music – is back with new track Leap Year.

Leap Year – and 2024 is a leap year – is as fragile and beautiful as ever. It’s filled with found sound of children.

Cloud Opacity explains that “The song title is really inspired by how kids grow so very quickly that every year feels like a leap year for them (and for their parents).” And that “I have two daughters, 6 and 8 y.o., so all the field recordings are of them laughing and saying things about their life and reflecting on their age.”

The mix of kids and music could all become quite sickly sweet. But not in such skilful hands. The laughter and sounds are pitched in such a way that it’s not easy to understand what’s said. That gives it an otherworldly and also whole world feel not tying it to any time of place. And around is a melancholic piano offset by handclap beats.

This is very, very lovely.

David Slowing is a producer and musician currently living in Austin, Texas. His work is mainly ambient and exists alongside his band Bedstudy.

David Slowing’s offering DADACECE is taken from the album A Sinuous Path to Pleasant Valley and is also connected to children. He explains the source of the track title as “I (dada) wrote this while sitting at the piano with my daughter (cece). Opening line is D/A D/A C/E C/E.”

DADACECE may be a sort of music witticism but it’s also a lovely piece of downtempo ambient. The opening has a sort of running, rippling feel that is maintained throughout the track.

Alongside the pace of the keys are slower elements holding things back a little and the occasional epic chords and choral sounds peeking through. But ultimately this has that sort of quietly melancholic feeling that I love.

Gorgeous stuff.

~ by acidted on October 15, 2023.